Plans for a new £5.8m digital and cyber hub at the University of Gloucestershire have been submitted with the consultation underway.
The university said funding from the Office for Students (OfS) will enable it to create a "state-of-the-art" teaching and learning space at its Park Campus in Cheltenham. It hopes that the hub would provide the latest digital and cyber technologies for students, ensuring that they graduate with the skills required locally and nationally.
Gloucestershire University hope the facilities will provide students with a learning space that resembles "as closely as possible" the environments they will experience in real-life scenarios while working in industry. Austin-Smith:Lord architects have been appointed to bring the University’s vision to life with plans now available to view on the Cheltenham Borough Council planning portal here.
Representatives from the Liverpool-based architects, the University and Kier Group, which has been appointed as the main contractor for the project, will also be available to show the plans and answer any questions at a drop-in session on August 9 in the Owen Building at Park Campus, between 4.30pm and 7pm.
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The Rt Hon Alex Chalk, MP for Cheltenham, said: “I welcome the University’s ambitious project to create a new centre of excellence for computing and cyber.
“Cyber is key to our economic future in Cheltenham, with a wealth of cyber expertise already here, exciting plans for Golden Valley, and strongly backed by the Government as part of the national cyber strategy.
“It is great to see our local University stepping up, with nearly £6m of Government investment via the Office for Students, to expand the supply of top level skills and research to drive the business growth we all want to see.”
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Currently the university's Reynolds building is set to be demolished in Autumn 2023 to create space for the digital and cyber hub, subject to demolition permission being granted in August. Building work on the new centre is set to start in December 2023, subject to planning permission being granted in October.
University of Gloucestershire vice-chancellor, Stephen Marston, said: "The redevelopment of the Reynolds Building will provide a new centre of excellence for digital technologies in the heart of Cheltenham, helping to address the 海角视频-wide cyber skills gap by educating the computing and engineering leaders of the future."
The aim is for students studying traditional degrees (BSc/MSc/MEng), higher apprenticeships, professional short courses, Digital Skills Bootcamps, and new Higher Technical Qualifications to move into the new centre in Spring 2025.
Mr Marston added: “It will also build on the university’s existing links within the burgeoning cyber sector in Cheltenham and the South West, working with these partners to increase the appeal of STEM subjects, with a particular focus on making study and careers in this area more accessible and attractive to women and neurodivergent individuals, and raising aspiration in disadvantaged communities.
“Supporting a key economic priority locally and nationally, this new centre will help forge Cheltenham’s position as a world class hub for cyber and computing. I’d encourage people to come to the drop-in session to find out more, ask any questions and to feed back through the consultation.”
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